1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of telephony. More specifically, the present invention discloses a telecommunication system for voice and data communications over a single conventional telephone line using visual forms.
2. Statement of the Problem
The present invention is intended to address the general problem of communicating both voice and data over a single conventional telephone line between a server station and a client station. It is often desirable to be able to transmit data over a single telephone line interspersed with verbal discussions between the parties. This data can be conveyed as a visual form relevant to the conversation. For example, a customer may wish to review airlines schedules and fares, and then make a reservation for a desired flight. A travel agent might wish to show a telephone customer a travel itinerary as they discuss it. An investor may wish to obtain market quotations, or place an order to buy or sell securities. A broker might want to show a customer a visual confirmation of a financial transaction. Each of these types of transactions can be facilitated by providing both the server station and client station with a shared visual form that is automatically updated to reflect actions taken at either station. These visual forms are populated with predefined controls or objects (e.g., data fields, push buttons, option lists, bitmap images, text fields, etc.) to provide a user-friendly interface and to simplify creation of forms.
Voice/Data Telecommunications--Prior Art. One embodiment of the present invention allows visual forms to be shared between a server station and a client station having live operators. A number of telephone systems have been invented in the past to allow transmission of both voice and data over a single telephone line, including the following:
______________________________________ Inventor Patent No. Issue Date ______________________________________ Davis 5,164,982 Nov. 17, 1992 Emmons et al. 4,932,047 June 5, 1990 Yoshida 4,815,121 Mar. 21, 1989 Cooper-Hart et al. 4,715,059 Dec. 22, 1987 Young 4,682,957 July 28, 1987 Dumas 4,656,654 April 7, 1987 Artom 4,387,271 June 7, 1983 ______________________________________ "Intel ProShare Video System" advertisement, ABA Journal (page 17, Feb. 1995)
Davis discloses a telecommunication display system for accommodating both voice and data over a single telephone line. The receiving party is provided with a display terminal 14 that is connected to the telephone line 22, 52 between the telephone network 50 and the base of the users telephone 12 as shown in FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,164,982. The display terminal includes a voice/data selector that can automatically recognize digital data and switches from voice communication to data communication modes. This patent discusses one embodiment of the VoiceView.TM. products marketed by Radish Communications Systems, Inc. of Boulder, Colo.
Emmons et al. disclose an example of a conversational video phone. The device communicates both audio signals and freeze-frame video images over a standard telephone line.
Yoshida discloses a telephone communication system that recognizes speech and automatically switches from data to speech transmission.
Cooper-Hart et al. disclose a conversational freeze-frame video phone that has been marketed by Luma Telecom, inc. under the name "Luma." This system includes a camera for periodically capturing an image that is converted into digital data and transmitted over the telephone line to a remote unit in a single short burst. Audio transmission is interrupted upon detection of a video signal being transmitted.
Young discloses a system for teleconferencing and teaching. Supporting material (e.g., slides) for the presentation are prepared in advance and sent from the originating location to a number of remote locations prior to the presentation. The audio portion of the presentation is transmitted by standard telephone service from the originating location to the remote locations. The telephone line also carries control signals from the originating location to control presentation of the supporting materials at each remote location.
Dumas discloses a teleconferencing system that supports both audio and graphic communications. Each user has a personal computer (PC) with a smart modem that monitors the telephone line for a predetermined set of identification codes indicating that graphics are about to be sent by another conference participant.
Artom discloses another example of a telephone system for combining voice and data communications over a single telephone line.
The advertisement for the Intel ProShare video system describes a telecommunications system for voice and video communications over an ISDN line, local area network (LAN), or two analog telephone lines. One application for the ProShare system allows users to review and revise a common document that appears on each user's computer screen. It is believed that the ProShare system was first introduced around January, 1994.
However, none of the prior art provide a protocol for exchanging data using visual forms within the context of combined voice and data communications over a single conventional telephone line. Such visual forms offer a number of substantial advantages in terms of: (1) simplifying and standardizing the interface for data communications between stations; (2) increasing system performance by limiting the amount of data that must be transmitted to the fields that have been the subject of an action at either station; (3) providing a means for specifying rules for data entry and validation, and (4) providing an architecture whereby system control and intelligence can be relegated to a remote station. The present invention also allows visual forms to be used in a number of settings. For example, the present system allows operators at remote stations to simultaneously view the same visual form (or at least visual forms with some fields in common). Actions at either station are automatically transmitted to the other station and used to update its copy of the visual form.
Voice Response Units--Prior Art. Another implementation of the present invention employs a modified voice response unit (VRU) as the server station to provide both voice and data communications over a telephone line using visual forms. For example, this embodiment is especially well suited for processing orders for goods or services, and providing information from databases (e.g., airlines schedules, fares and reservations, billing questions, bank account information, or brokerage transactions).
Conventional VRUs have been used for many years to provide an automated system for voice and audio communications with callers. In a typical conventional implementation, the VRU transmits prerecorded voice messages to present the caller with a number of options. The caller selects one of the options by pressing a corresponding key on the caller's telephone key pad. The VRU then transmits voice messages that contain information requested by the caller, such as bank account balances, airline flight schedules, etc. Most conventional VRUs are limited to communication of voice and audio tones generated by the telephone key pad (e.g., DTMF tones). Therefore, most conventional VRUs are inherently limited in their ability to communicate data with the caller and have no ability to share screens of visual data with the caller.
One family of VRU components widely used in the industry is manufactured by Dialogic Corporation of 300 Littleton Road, Parsippany, N.J. 07054. Dialogic VRU components can be combined to create VRU systems in a wide variety of configurations. One commonly used configuration employs a processor to control a network interface card and a number of voice cards, similar to the VRU 35 depicted in FIG. 2. The network interface card 27 handles a number of incoming telephone calls over a T1 carrier or a number of analog telephone lines. Each voice card 28 generates voice messages from prerecorded data and provides detection and A/D conversion of incoming voice signals. The VRU system components can communicate digital voice data with one another by means of a PCM expansion bus (PEB) 29. An additional ISA or equivalent bus 33 is included to enable the processor 20 to communicate with the VRU system components as well as other computer components, such as hard disk drives and serial ports using a conventional bus architecture similar to that found in most personal computer systems. The processor controls the sequence of operation of the entire VRU from a preprogrammed script. For example, the script may cause the processor to direct one of the voice cards to transmit a series of verbal messages that provides the caller with a list of options (e.g., "Press one if you have billing questions. Press two for a new service request. Press three if you have a natural gas leak.", etc. ) The caller selects one of the options by pressing the corresponding key on the telephone key pad, which transmits an audio signal to the VRU. The VRU voice card detects the audio signal and the processor follows the script for the selected option. Instructions are issued by the processor to the network interface card and voice cards over the ISA bus using a predefined command protocol. Digitized voice data can also be communicated over the PEB bus from the voice cards to the network interface card or other system components.
A number of other voice processing systems, interactive voice response (IVR) systems, and automated systems for transmitting data in response to telephone calls have been invented in the past, including the following:
______________________________________ Inventor Patent No. Issue Date ______________________________________ Giler et al. 5,291,546 Mar. 1, 1994 Lalonde et al. 5,283,731 Feb. 1, 1994 Stent et al. 5,276,732 Jan. 4, 1994 Baran et al. Reissue 34,429 Nov. 2, 1993 Sattar 5,255,305 Oct. 19, 1993 Sattar et al. 5,243,643 Sep. 7, 1993 Mitchell et al. 5,164,981 Nov. 17, 1992 Jolissaint 5,040,208 Aug. 13, 1991 Duehren et al. 4,918,722 Apr. 17, 1990 ______________________________________
Giler et al. disclose a fax message system in which action information is stored for each fax at a fax receiving station. In one embodiment, the sending party provides routing information for the fax that is stored by the fax receiving station.
Lalonde et al. disclose a computer system for creating a database of classified ads. The system can be accessed by means of an interactive voice response system that converts text from the database into a voice message.
Baran et al. disclose an interactive facsimile system that allows an unmodified fax machine to interactively select and retrieve facsimile pages from a database on a fax server. The remote user marks a paper selector sheet form using a pencil or pen. The selector sheet is then transmitted by the remote fax machine to the fax server.
The patents to Sattar and Sattar et al. disclose a voice processing system (e.g., for voice mail) that can be configured to allow different caller interfaces for each caller.
Mitchell et al. disclose a voice response system for providing interactive data exchange between a caller, an operator, and one or more databases. A voice path switch initially connects the caller to a database through a voice response unit that provides digitized voice prompts and questions to the caller. The caller responds by entering numbers on the telephone key pad. The voice response unit then converts data from the database to voice signals recognizable by the caller. The voice response unit or the caller may selectively transfer the transaction to a human operator. The system also provides the operator with a list of information transacted thus far between the caller and the voice response unit.
Stent et al. disclose another example of a database retrieval system having a voice response unit 26 that prompts the caller to make selections by means of DTMF signals. The system also allows the call to be switched to a human operator.
Jolissaint discloses a coordinated voice and data display system having the capability of suspending a telephone call in anticipation of resuming the call at a time in the future. The system includes a number of telephones 18 managed by a computerized branch exchange (CBX) 14 and a number of display terminals 16 managed by a host processor 12. If the system becomes congested with incoming calls, the caller may be offered the option of leaving a call-back message with the system. In one embodiment, a VRU is used to prompt the caller to provide information (e.g., the caller's telephone number and a call-back time) by means of DTMF keys that is stored and subsequently used in the call-back procedure.
Duehren et al. disclose a system in which the delivery of electronic information (e.g., fax or binary data) is controlled by DTMF commands sent by the user using the telephone key pad.
3. Solution to the Problem
None of the prior art references uncovered in the search show a telecommunications system that supports both voice and data communications using a protocol for exchanging visual forms. In one embodiment, this enables operators at two remote stations to view and discuss a common visual form. Any actions taken with respect to the visual form are automatically transmitted to the other station so that both copies of the visual form remain synchronized. In another embodiment, a modified VRU is used as the server station. The subscriber station displays a visual form that provides an interface for data communications with the VRU.